The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

schweg wrote:Most excellent- I hope it’s the start of a great year! I just hope that 4-legged creature wasn’t in there when you got it opened?

Ha, no, Lucy has been a part of my madness for 13 years though. Being a hound, she has to sniff everything 50 times before she leaves it alone!

Sean

OrthoSean wrote:

schweg wrote:Most excellent- I hope it’s the start of a great year! I just hope that 4-legged creature wasn’t in there when you got it opened?

Ha, no, Lucy has been a part of my madness for 13 years though. Being a hound, she has to sniff everything 50 times before she leaves it alone!

Sean

Lucy seems to approve.

Hot damn! AWESOME find!

WOW - what an incredible find! Congratulations!

Andreas

Just my 2 cents-After nearly 50 years in the art restoration field I would never use a water based product to clean an oil painting or a gold leafed item. In the case of your machine the odds are that the leaf is covered with shellac, or varnish. Water is not advised as it can impact both the shellac and the gesseo that it is laid down on. Both the gesso and the Bole-red clay are water based and water can soften both of them.Find a spot that is an over lap that is normally not visible and using a q tip and a bit of alcohol, just touch it in the pattern of a lane taking off-that is do not rub, and note the change. If nothing happens but it does pick up dirt, try it again. Alcohol will not affect the varnish. There is water in it however. If that seems to work go to Home depot, Loews etc and get the alcohol that is in the quart callen green alcohol. It has the lowest water content except for methanol alcohol which is tough to buy without going to a chemical supply company.

If that seems to go to far than it is a shellac finish. After years of making up my own stuff to clean these frames, a restoration supply company makes up a very good non water based cleaner that is expensive but works very well. The other problem is that you have painting in place as well. They make this cleaner up in a number of strengths and I would recommend the weakness solution first.

Make sure that the unit is in a temperature controlled environment, and make sure it drys out slowly. I have seen the leaf separate from the gesso and the gesso separate from the wood if things move too quick.

Go slow nad pm me if you need any supplies

Abe

need4art wrote:Just my 2 cents-After nearly 50 years in the art restoration field I would never use a water based product to clean an oil painting or a gold leafed item.

I know what you mean, in my case it was an oil on board (masonite or similar) Ca. 1914. I did it only after research.

(EDIT) Vulpex can be mixed with white spirits, but I would be more concerned with the solvent property of that than water.

Fantastic find!!! Congrats!!!!

Wow!

Who would ever expect one of these to emerge from the wild? Congratulations!

George P.

That is SPECTACULAR! I can only dream of logging in to craigslist and finding one of these, or better yet at an antique store for $100. Congrats and I'd love to see it when it's done!

I "need" one of those for my library!